Vietnamese Crepe (Banh Xeo) is thin, crispy and served with fresh herbs and refreshing lime dipping fish sauce. This savory sizzling crepe will satisfy even picky eaters.
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What is Vietnamese Crepe?
Vietnamese Crepe (Banh Xeo) is a bright yellow crispy crepe filled with shrimp, pork and vegetables. You can come across this tasty dish either as a snack or main meal in all three regions of Vietnam.
People in the North and the South call it “bánh xèo” which means “sizzling crepe”. The word “xeo” describes the sound the batter makes when it hits the hot pan. In the Central region, people call it “bánh khoái” which means people love to eat it and feel happy when eating it.
Ingredients
To make the batter, you need to combine flour with liquid. Vietnamese crepe is made from rice flour, and I like to add cornstarch to increase its crispiness. Both types of flour are gluten-free. You can easily find rice flour from Viet or Thai brands at Asian grocery stores.
You then need a small amount of turmeric powder to create the beautiful yellow color for the crepes. Don’t worry, you will not taste the turmeric at all since the amount is so small.
Turmeric powder is often used in Vietnamese cuisine to create beautiful colors and sometimes add an earthy flavor for the dish, such as in this Hanoi Turmeric Fish with Noodles (Cha Ca La Vong), Sticky Rice with Mung Bean (Xoi Xeo) and Vietnamese Chicken Rice (Com Ga Hoi An).
For the liquid, it’s common to use a combination of water and coconut milk. The coconut milk gives the crepe a light fragrance and subtle sweetness. It’s okay to use only plain water, and I recommend adding a pinch of sugar if you choose to do so.
Nowadays, you can find premade banh xeo mix at Asian grocery stores. My family sometimes uses them, and Vinh Thuan brand is a decent one.
For the filling, the traditional choices are onion, bean sprouts, shrimp, and pork. I often use pork shoulder, but you can also use pork tenderloin or pork belly if you want less or more fat.
How to Make Banh Xeo
You will need to cook the filling separately before cooking the crepe, but it can all be done with one pan. Detailed instructions with photos are on the recipe card below, so I just want to provide some tips here.
- Batter: to have a thin and crispy crepe, you don’t want the batter to be too thick. Its consistency is not thick at all. I would say it’s just slightly thicker than consistency of a beaten egg. Another thing to pay attention is that rice flour tends to settle at the bottom of the bowl. Therefore, give the batter a good stir before pouring it into the pan. You need just enough batter to cover the pan with a thin layer.
- Pan temperature: you know the heat is good if you hear the sizzling sound when pouring the batter into the pan. I usually use medium to medium high heat and adjust accordingly. I use a nonstick skillet to make everything from start to finish. Also, be generous with the amount of oil.
- Cooking time: be patient when cooking the crepe. It will feel soft during the first few minutes before it crisps up. Don’t expect it to be crispy within just 2-3 minutes of cooking. Give it time to get crispy.
- It’s convenient to use small or medium shrimps. If you use large shrimps like me, cut in half length-wise after you cook them.
- Folding the crepe: you will need to fold the crepes in half and then transfer to serving plates. I find that using two spatulas makes this step easy as cake.
This banh xeo recipe is enough to make three 12-inch crepes but you can make it as large or small as you want. When you are familiar with the cooking method, you can cook multiple crepes at the same time.
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How to Eat
Eating banh xeo is a fun experience. I recommend serving immediately after frying so that it is still crispy and hot. We often serve it with lettuce, fresh herbs (such as cilantro and mint), and dipping fish sauce (nuoc cham). Some people like to use rice paper wrappers to make fresh spring rolls with this crepe.
With or without rice paper wrappers, Vietnamese crepe is delicious and satisfying. This dish brings joys to your senses with its beautiful color and shape (sight), the crunch from crispy crepes (sound), delightful flavors from filling and dipping sauce (taste), and refreshing aromas from herbs (smell).
